We Almost Had An Asian Iron Fist According To Lewis Tan

Say what you will about Iron Fist, but there’s no denying that it’s the most divisive offering in Netflix and Marvel‘s slate of shows. Between its user ratings and critics ratings, some people are clearly enjoying Danny Rand’s quest while others don’t.

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The reasons for criticism are varied, including lackluster 30-second action sequences that require over 50 edits to make cohesive. The reasons for praise are widely in line with the rest of the Netflix shows, including nuanced acting and strong-if-slightly-uneven-plotting.

But the largest and most obvious complaint people have is the fact that Marvel had a chance to shy away from the ‘white savior’ trope while still making the character an ‘outsider,’ and it was as simple as casting an Asian-American actor. Marvel even considered going that route when Lewis Tan auditioned for the lead role.

Tan was eventually cast as the character Zhou Cheng, a villain who mixes it up with Finn Jones‘ Danny in the back half of the season. As a martial artist, the actor does his own stunts.

He spoke with Vulture about his experience auditioning for the part of Danny Rand, being passed over but given a different role, and being on set for the production.

One of the common misconceptions “comic book purists” have is that Danny needs to be white. Or black. Or brown. That being a “foreigner in a foreign land” is the definition of being an outsider.

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Well, no. That’s just the easiest route to take, and it’s a tired trope at this point.

“I personally think it would have been a really interesting dynamic to see this Asian-American guy who’s not in touch with his Asian roots go and get in touch with them and discover this power,” Tan said. “I think that’s super interesting and we’ve never seen that.”

But the ‘white savior’ narrative has been done to death, where as there aren’t many stories that capture the experience of being Asian-American.

“I think it would be really interesting to have that feeling of an outsider. There’s no more of an outsider than an Asian-American: We feel like outsiders in Asia and we feel like outsiders at home. That’s been really difficult — especially for me.”

Tan said that auditioning for most roles is hard because he is seen as a “six-two… a 180 pounds… muscular half-Asian dude.”

“‘Well, I don’t know what to do with this guy.’ They’re like, ‘He’s not Asian, he’s not white… no.’ That’s what I’ve been dealing with my whole life. So I understand those frustrations of being an outsider. Like Danny’s character. I understand him very well.”

But Marvel did consider him for the part, according to Tan. He read for the character in his auditions and got quite a few callbacks before they ultimately went with Jones.

“I thought at least I had a shot — I’m half white and I do martial arts and I could easily play that role. So I was excited,” Tan said. “And then I read for Danny and they liked me a lot. I read again and again and again, and it was a long process, and it got to the point where they were talking about my availability and my dates. That’s always a good sign, you know? And then they went with Finn and they had me read for a villain part maybe two weeks later.”

Tan is obviously disappointed, not in his involvement in the show, but that he didn’t get to play the Iron Fist. But he has hope that the shifting cultural paradigm behind the scenes will open more avenues for people of color, and eliminate the all-to common practice of typecasting.

“It’s going to take people of color behind the camera, it’s going to take even Caucasian people with a broader scope or a deeper understanding of how the world looks now,” he said. “The world doesn’t look black and white. The world is grey. Everything is grey. Everybody’s mixed up. Like, it’s 2017. People want to see themselves represented and we want to see what our real life looks like on film and on TV.”